


Resonance, Or; When Death Approaches, Do You Run?

by Austinonymous



Category: Soul Eater, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Demon Weapon Midoriya Izuku, Depressed Midoriya Izuku, M/M, Midoriya Izuku Has ADHD, Midoriya Izuku Has One for All Quirk, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, References to Depression, Shinsou Hitoshi Replaces Mineta Minoru, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor's Bad Parenting, True God Death the Kid, post-soul eater canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:55:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29479542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Austinonymous/pseuds/Austinonymous
Summary: Centuries had passed since the war against the Kishin had ended. And in that time people had come and gone, and with the arrival of Quirks, a new world made by humanity's hands left Death adrift in the world. His path was now on a collision course with a powerful soul that had begun morphing into an Evil human, a soul that someone had nearly killed a few years back, but could not finish the job. Yet, as he searched for the soul, he found something else. Someone else. The only Demon Weapon he'd seen in half a century, even if the boy didn't know it himself.For Izuku's part, he'd unknowingly stumbled past the Grim Reaper on his rush to school. He certainly wasn't prepared for the turn his life was about to take.
Relationships: Midoriya Izuku & Death the Kid, Midoriya Izuku & Shinsou Hitoshi, Midoriya Izuku & Todoroki Shouto, Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 60
Kudos: 127





	1. If Death Was Just Changing Costumes, Would You Slow Down or Speed Up?

His eyes roamed about the street as he walked, humming a bit to himself as he did so. The click of his shoes against the pavement was perhaps unusual, but it was a minor trick for one such as him. It reminded him of simpler times, of better days. It made his eyes flutter closed on particularly warm days, with the sun leering down at him as the pavement of the cities of Japan baked in its rays. The arid-ness of his childhood home could never be replicated in an island like this, but the warmth, pulling itself around him and holding him close was like a whisper dancing on the air.

Though, a complaint like that was of little value to him in either respect- after all, there was little point be-moaning the differences when the small island nation held many small wonders that he could only get when he was away from his old home. The fluttering leaves of the sakura trees, or the delightfully busy hustle and bustle of the city streets about him- those were the things that made his heart sing a little bit. People, free and happy, their mortal souls bouncing along without a care in the world, as if the small chill that shifted through the air as he came into town wasn’t massaging its way into their nerves and dancing along the edges of their mind. His soul was not like the warm inviting hug that those of centuries past knew.

No, it had not been like that for a while and would stay this way for an age longer.

Something had called out to him in this land, however; his feet had been drawn here to across the seas. That which had hidden itself away from him was no longer in the luxury of escaping the gaze of a being far beyond its knowledge or kin. In a time past, perhaps he would be worried about this soul coalescing into something far greater- something that in his younger years could have threatened the world. The soul had been sent crashing to earth a few years past; his work had almost been done for him. But whomever confronted the wretched soul and nearly killed it failed to do the job, and now here his feet had brought him.

Humans had changed so much in the years since Quirks had been discovered. Strange abilities, created by a gene that mutated on its own. It was not the result of forced experimentation or from the war between humanity and the supernatural, a war that was far over. It was ironic in some ways, as it seemed that quirks were like a stopper on their souls; a chain that which they could not break on their own. It made truly spiritually Evil humans lessen over time- oh yes, there were those who were villainous and malicious, whom which the wider world deemed that there was no chance to change or save. They labeled these people as Evil, but he was one of the few left after the centuries of upheaval what that word used to mean. It was a dark blessing or a beautiful curse, dependent on how much one sympathize with the tortured dreams of one such as he.

Pausing, he looked up at the gate of the place he was about to wander past, black cloak whipping about his feet as his golden eyes looked up to peer at the archway before him. Tall, proud, imposing, as nearly imposing as the buildings contained behind its wall. Souls of a young age were shuffling from room to room, in a way that made his heart thud a bit louder beneath his breast, livening up in a way he had not felt in a long time. It squeezed and pushed against him, crying out in remembrance. He looked away for a moment, because of what use was there to remember such a thing anyway? A Death Scythe was not in his hand and he doubted whether one would ever be again.

The rapid hit of feet on the pavement rapidly approaching him made his eyes look up in curiosity- and then they widened yet a fraction more. Wild green filled his senses and the pulsing beautiful soul in front of him hummed with a barely hidden power to it. Looking over the soul as it approached, he was shocked then thrilled then curious as he realized that the etchings and movements across the soul of this young human denoted his status as a Demon Weapon. Yet how that was in this new world of quirks, when so much of the Demon Weapon race had been wiped out, he knew not.

“S-Sorry, uh, please I need to get to class, I’m running very late-! Uh not on purpose-!” The boy stammered as he barely slowed down as he neared, making him suddenly realize he did in fact need to move out of the way so this eager student would not miss his more interesting lectures. Or rather, what he assumed were interesting; if their classes were anything like that which happened at the Death’s Weapon Meister Academy centuries ago then he was sure the excitable young man’s energy would be run through by the end of the day.

Taking a step, he nodded at the boy as a grateful smile was turned his way. His lips quirked upwards, still silent as they had been for a while now and likely would still be for an age more.

All he received at first was a confused blink from the short boy, as likely his years without caring to interact with humanity as a general concept had dulled his ability to convey his inner emotions. But perhaps the subtle turn of his lips was enough to at least satisfy the other, as he received a hasty, “Thank you-!” The Student then began booking it again, rushing his way past through the gate beyond.

It did make him look back towards the gate, his soul humming through and around him, the wind swirling a bit more about him. Perhaps his senses had dulled in their centuries of wandering, but how had the Demon Weapon managed to have such a powerful soul without the ability to collect Evil humans freely or that of Witches? It was nonsensical and something he did not expect to see; it scratched at the edges of his Madness, demanding that the rules of the past be followed, or the Order be restored to the new rules of the world. Truly strange.

He looked up at the building again, etching the logo of the school into his mind before turning away to continue his slow but now more purposeful walk down the street. This was a boy to watch while he searched for the wretched soul that forced his hand to travel here. He would have to see if there would be a way to gain an audience with him. Perhaps not for a while yet, however. At least not until there was a natural way to make his introduction.

After all, what human enjoyed meeting Death?


	2. The Unknown is Frightening, But is the Truth Any Less So?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am happy to see some excitement from my dear readers about this plot idea! If the upload for the second day in a row was any indication, I have ideas for the fic. However, this chapter was also sort of a part 2 to the first chapter; that established Kid's perspective, while this one establishes Izuku's! The story will be primarily from their two points of view, so I hope you all enjoy the ride! Please, I love your comments so please leave your thoughts on this fic. They got me pumped up to write this chapter!

* * *

Izuku Midoriya was not a particularly interesting boy if you believed the words of his old classmates in high school. Perhaps his hair-color was unusual, a wild whirlwind of green that refused to be tamed no matter how much they tried brushing it or using gel when he was younger. He didn’t care about that terribly- so long as it didn’t knot badly when he was toweling off from a shower, he sort of liked it. Wild and untamed, free to be what it wished; it was a feeling that had escaped from the spot that beat beneath his breast when he was little.

At a tender young age, he’d learned that he would be forever on the back foot. It was a harsh reality, but one he had long decided he just needed to accept, buckle down and work to be better. Especially if he wanted to get far being a Pro-Hero. Even if he had been born with a quirk, it was a proven trend in the hero industry that lighter-toned people tended to be highlighted more by the media, to say nothing of how tough it was for those who looked inhuman. He was endlessly impressed with Gang Orca because of it; anyone who could work their way onto the top ten like that was amazing in his eyes. Kamui was well on his way as well, and there was excited chatter that perhaps more than one not strictly human-looking Hero would make it into the top ten in the next rankings.

The student shook himself from that thought as he pushed himself along, feet hitting the pavement hard as he was practically sprinting down the sidewalk. The young hero student couldn’t believe that he was about to be late to school so soon in the year! After all that had been scarificed, everything that had been done- the amount of time All Might had put into training him for this- he couldn’t just treat that investment like it was worthless!

Of course, it wasn’t just for All Might. He knew that for himself, he needed to do well. Quirkless and powerless growing up, Izuku had almost given up on his dream of becoming a Hero in primary school.

But that time was past. The green-haired boy had trained relentlessly for days upon days, weeks upon weeks, months upon months. His muscles now sat tight and powerful under his clothes, a physique that was likely the envy of many in his class, once they had seen him in the changing room for their first combat class together. Well, envy existed in some like the skinny blond Kaminari, but Izuku’s childhood... ah, friend had offered him no more than a mocking sneer. A mocking sneer that Izuku knew was hiding his incandescent rage, fueled by the other boy’s frustration in having a rival in the once meek boy who could do no more than serve as a punching bag in primary school. Katsuki Bakugo, or Kacchan as Izuku still called him, was certainly not impressed by Izuku’s dedication.

All the other boy seemed to get was a sort of perverse anger, though if it weren’t for the small breakdown Izuku alone had been privileged to after their match that day, he would think that Kacchan’s only emotion was either pure anger or smug pride.

If Izuku was being honest with himself, he was both very pleased and very anxious with how his school life had been going so far.

His eyes widened as he turned the corner and suddenly saw someone standing in his way to U.A.- certainly unintentionally, but if the stranger wasn’t going to move, Izuku would plow into him! “S-Sorry, uh,” crap, he needed to spit out what he needed to say!” “Please I need to get to class, I’m running very late-! Uh, not on purpose-!” Dangit, he hadn’t even thought to tell the guy to move!

The stranger in his path seemed to get the message, however, and he moved back a step. It left Izuku with a few moments to take in the boy in front of him; a black cloak was whipping about him, covering what looked to be a suit of some sort underneath. It was a bit formal for just walking about town, but Izuku was hardly going to judge him on that. The most interesting part of the boy was his hair and his eyes.

His hair was like Todorokis, in the sense that it was split in straight lines that were weirdly perfect for being the coloring of his hair. However, unlike Todoroki’s hair that was split down the middle, one side red and one side white, this boy’s black hair had three white rings spread through it. The lowest of the rings was covering the ends of his bangs and wrapping back around, while the other two rings encircled his head evenly. It was striking and rare. That was coming from a darker-skinned boy who somehow had managed to snag his mother’s rare green hair, instead of his father’s more mundane hair-color, despite the fact he had inherited his father’s skin and freckles.

But beyond even something as interesting as that, there were his eyes. At first, he noticed only that they seemed to glow and flicker with a golden color like rare gems were buried under his pupils. The greater shock was that the pupils he was looking into somehow formed skull shapes, which was something that if not for Quirks Izuku would believe to be biologically impossible.

Of course, it was impolite to stare, so the green-haired boy simply sent a grateful smile the stranger’s way, only to receive a blank look in return- wait, was he smiling a bit? A smirk? The movement in the other boy’s lips was so subtle that Izuku was unsure how to read him very well. It was as if he was trying to gauge what Todoroki was feeling, which despite their limited interactions Izuku could already tell was going to be a massive chore to sort out. It wasn’t as if his adhd-riddled brain could pick up on social cues that well to begin with, let alone after a decade of dealing with Kacchan’s plainly-worn hostility.

He could think about his classmates later, Izuku, he needed to get himself to class.

”Thank you-!” The green-haired boy called out to the other as he rushed through the gate. It had been a good idea to study the hallways of the school map, even if that had only been a result of his hyperfocus trying to figure out every little detail of his new environment. Shoes lightly thud-ing against the ground as he slowed his sprint to a rather spirited walk, Izuku began to take some deep breaths to regain his composure and fix himself up a bit before he reached his class.

Enough time had been purchased with the burning of his lungs and muscles, still fatigued from his fight with Kacchan a day or two past, for him to reach his class on time. The last thing he wanted to do was make a bad impression again on his teacher after they had gone and made a mess of the fight. Izuku’s heart still clenched every time he thought of him and Kacchan in that building, the other boy ready to blow him away in a way that was far too literal. It fluttered as a phantom ache drifted over his arm’s bones, which had strained and broke when he’d ended the fight. He knew that he needed to try harder to keep that from happening again.

He needed to, but he had no idea how to. And for all that All Might was, being the amazingly strong #1 Hero and Symbol of Peace for Japan, he was obviously not trained or experienced as a teacher. A personal trainer when it came to fitness? Yes, he could manage that. But helping a student who had only just recently gotten his Quirk? That was a bit out of the older man’s wheelhouse.

It wasn’t something Izuku blamed him for, heaven forbid. No, it was more a... disappointing but understandable situation. All Might hadn’t spoken much, if anything, of his predecessor who had given him One for All, but given the haunted few words that could be construed as being a reference to them Izuku had a fair idea. If his mentor hadn’t had much time with his teacher before they had been removed from All Might’s life, it would only make sense that he would be unsure how to train Izuku to use One for All. Even the fact that All Might had figured a couple of Izuku’s bones might break the first time he used it spoke volumes of how All Might’s first days with it were.

But it hurt, oh did it hurt. It hurt that his mentor was as lost as Izuku was in figuring out how to limit this Quirk, hurt that Izuku was to a degree expected to figure it out on his own to some extent.

NO. No. All Might was trying his best with what limited knowledge he had; the green-haired student just needed to be thankful that the older man had been so willing to take him under his wing to train him, even when Izuku was still Quirkless. It was a lot to ask of anyone, especially someone who was the number one hero and likely had the run of the nation’s top sidekicks and heroes to pick from as a successor. Izuku was just grateful that he was being given such an opportunity to change his own fate.

Nodding to himself, Izuku pushed open the door to his classroom, waving to Iida and Uraraka who were seated in the far back of the first column of desks. Uraraka gave him a big grin and waved back eagerly while Iida giving him a stiff but friendly wave, both clearly pleased to see him. He got a hearty hello and good morning from Kaminari and the red-headed Kirishima behind him as Izuku moved down to the last column of desks and began moving to his. He was sandwiched between Kacchan- who he studiously ignored -and a purple-haired boy with an eternally tired expression.

That guy’s name was Shinsou and it was actually sort of funny on the first day seeing Aizawa-sensei and Shinsou walk past each other. A person could have mistaken one for the other if they were the same age at least. And didn’t have wildly different hair in both color and style. And Shinsou just seemed to have eyebags, not the red eyes of their teacher- okay, maybe there were a few more differences than he thought of initially, but still! He knew Uraraka agreed with him.

He slid down into his seat, looking back at Shinsou with a tentative smile, “Good morning Shinsou!”

Nothing more was offered to him but a tired glance, a reminder that the boy’s eyebags probably were around for a reason. Izuku swallowed a bit but kept a smile on his face. Shinsou wasn’t the only student to wear an icy demeanor in the classroom; Todoroki was just as closed off and silent as Shinsou tended to be.

Both certainly seemed to have their own deals. Shinsou’s was pretty obvious when the green-haired boy had heard how Shinsou had helped his team win by brainwashing the other group, and he could see how a decent portion of the class cringed away from him a bit. The class would probably warm up to them if either he or Shouto were interested in trying to make friends, yet it was clear that neither boy was going to try and make an effort to bridge the gap between them. If there was one thing Izuku was, however, was persistent and stubborn, and he was going to make friends with the both of them! But the dual-toned boy wasn’t seated behind Izuku every day at school, so for now Izuku would focus on bringing Shinsou into his small little friend group, even if it took a while longer.

At that point, Aizawa-sensei made his appearance into the classroom, looking around the place with his constantly red, but focused eyes. “Good, you all are here. We will begin shortly, but before that, we need to discuss an important development that happened early this morning.” That got everyone’s attention- with the invasion of the press so recent, everyone’s nerves were a bit fried and on edge.

Their teacher’s eyes scanned their now attentive faces and nodded, “This is not meant to alarm any of you; I know that with the press getting into the school, you are likely stressed.” He said, placing a paper down on his desk, “Early this morning a large energy field of unknown properties moved over the city.” A couple of students seemed like they were about to ask startled and worried questions, but a sharp glance from Aizawa-sensei quieted them so he could continue. “This isn’t an unknown phenomenon. This field, in particular, has been detected before, however, any instrument that tracks it for any decent amount of time to try and pinpoint where the center is and where it is moving overloads and fries up. Our instruments just aren’t built for the energy- all they do is notice it's here and then blow up.”

The lanky teacher sighed, “Normally, we would just note it's here, then attempt to coordinate with local heroes to get some proper readings or find the edges to calculate the size and center before it goes vanishing off to another part of the globe. And of course, none of you would need to worry about this. However, with the recent incursion on school property yesterday, we need everyone to be extra vigilant. While we don’t believe it has any ill will, it is better that you are aware of its existence and can report to us any strange sightings.”

His eyes scanned the room severely across the room, “This doesn’t excuse any slacking. We will handle this phenomenon, but I insist that if you do see anything at all, you report it immediately to me. Now,” Aizawa-sensei said as he picked up his papers again, “Let’s get started on roll call...”

Izuku wasn’t sure what to think about that- something so powerful that an elite school with cutting-edge tech couldn’t so much as detect it without destroying its equipment? That was absurd, and something about the chill in the air despite the warm day just made it worm its way through his heart faster. He knew that if it was someone like the guy who’d injured All Might, his mentor would’ve recognized it, that he was sure of.

Granted, that villain had been taken care of, so it wasn’t going to be him but, well, who else out there could be that powerful?


	3. When We Fall All Asleep, Where Do We Go?

* * *

The news about the ongoing 'energy field' incident buzzed in the back of his mind throughout the rest of his morning classes, and it seemed like everyone was a bit on edge. How on edge they were was obvious by the time they got to lunch, where most people were at the very least giving each other worried looks and low whispers. Many people were doing their usual routines- he could see the pink haired-and-skinned Mina laughing alongside Kirishima about … something, while across the way a blond-haired boy was cheerfully chatting with his purple-haired friend. Speaking of purple hair, Izuku looked about for signs of Shinsou. 

He wanted to invite the other boy to eat lunch with them, but it was a pain to find him amongst everything going on. U.A. wasn’t massive by any means if the fact that there were only about forty or so students in each year's hero classes. It topped the hero students out at about a hundred and twenty, and with each department … okay, well perhaps the school was quite large when you took every department and grade into account. Still, you would think that it wouldn’t be this easy for a hero course student to just disappear into the crowd during lunch, yet it seemed Shinsou had mastered the art. If this was Izuku’s old school he could go check the roof or something for him, but this was U.A.- their buildings were miniature skyscrapers, and he doubted any student was just randomly allowed on the roof. Even if it had great safety measures, it just wasn’t safe.

It didn’t help that this was a demanding school with high standards and lots of work, and one where they were also in the public eye a fair deal. Izuku had never felt the desire to jump, but he could only imagine that if things went pear-shaped for a student who went to U.A., the height of the main buildings would be a tantalizing opportunity.

Izuku shook himself out of that line of thinking; he’d never seriously considered anything like that so it was best not to think about it.

Anyways, it seemed his attempts to pull Shinsou into his orbit of friends were going to have to be postponed for the day. There was a slight worry that the other boy knew what Izuku was trying to do and as such was pulling away from him and making himself scarce, but there had to be another explanation to that. His eyes did land on the dual-toned hair of Todoroki and that made the green-haired boy grin. Yeah, he could ask Shouto to sit with them again! The other boy was currently just going into the lunch line to pick up their food from the hero Lunch Rush, so Izuku slipped in line after him and cleared his throat softly.

Todoroki looked back at him blandly, but also considering him as if he was... surprised that Izuku was attempting to speak to him? Oh boy, he had been right; Todoroki was going to be a tough person for him to read. He already wasn’t the best at it, but someone who just stared so blankly was disconcerting. Was this what Izuku had looked like when he shut down during an episode? The green-haired boy hoped not, it must look even weirder on someone who was as open and honest as Izuku usually was. “Hey there Todoroki- what are you getting from Lunch Rush?”

That actually seemed to throw the other boy a bit, as he just blinked and let out a short and cautious, “Soba. I’m hoping they made some today.”

Izuku grinned a bit, “I mean, this is Lunch Rush! He can make a lot of food at the drop of a dime. I’m going to request some katsudon- I think I deserve it after the mess yesterday and then the announcement about the energy field thing.” The other boy just nodded slightly, which Izuku took as a win. It wasn’t going to be easy to maintain a discussion with the recommendation student, but he seemed to be making some progress on that front at least!

They both ended up getting what they wanted- Katsudon for Izuku and Soba for Shouto. As they were leaving the line, he turned to the stoic boy and smiled a bit, “Hey, I was thinking- would you like to sit with Iida, Uraraka, and I, Todoroki?”

“I’m not here to make friends,” Was the short and curt reply from the other boy, one that indicated that the conversation was over in the other’s eyes. Izuku however was quite stubborn and pressed on.

“Not saying we’re trying to make you our friend! I mean if you wanted to be friends, that would be another matter, but since you obviously don’t want to then that’s not what we would expect from you of course, that would just be rude,” Izuku rambled a bit before pulling himself back together a bit. “I just know that eating by yourself can suck, so it's just an offer! You won’t bother us if you ever want to join!” He said cheerfully as he turned to walk away.

He was hoping Todoroki would stop him, and with an earnest voice say something along the lines of, ‘How did you know what I’m feeling? I would love to come sit with the rest of you’. It was, admittedly, projecting but the hope was there still nonetheless. The desire for him to be just a bit closer to being able to offer Todoroki his hand to pull him into their friend group.

Todoroki turned away, silently for a moment, before shrugging, “I’m used to it.” Then the hero student walked away from Izuku, not seeing the stricken look on his face. Because how could someone hear that and not have their heart clench tightly as memories, of sitting alone in a corner as the class looked at them with loathing, pushed themselves into their mind. Izuku hoped dearly that the other boy wasn’t actually used to it, that a comment like that was just a way to hide the fact that he wanted to but was either too shy or holding himself back for some reason.

With a reluctant sigh, the green-haired hero student went over to Uraraka and Iida, perking up a bit as he sat down with them, “Hey guys, how are you doing?”

The brown-haired girl looked over at him with a cheery grin, “I’m doing well Deku! Were you talking to Todoroki?” She asked curiously, eating into some of her rice as she waited for him to answer. Izuku shyly nodded at the question from her before clearing his throat so he could explain why he had been talking to the other boy.

“Well, I was hoping to invite Todoroki to sit with us and hang out- he doesn’t really do that with anyone, he just sort of sits off in a corner, sometimes with Yaoyorozu, so I figured that maybe it would be a good idea to invite him over so he could hang out with some more of his class,” He rambled a bit, explaining his position as Iida nodded in agreement.

“As a fellow member of the class, it would be good for ourselves and him if Todoroki talked to his peers more. If we find ourselves in a position where we need to work together, it would be better if we all could trust each other in the moment,” the class president said thoughtfully. Iida wasn’t exactly wrong, of course, but Izuku just thought the other boy must be lonely over there. Even if it was done by choice and not something forced on him, which was a stretch, the dual-toned hero student would still be suffering some. Loneliness didn’t care much why you were alone, only that at some point you were.

Or feared you’d be alone again.

Alright, too much introspection.

“What did you guys think about that whole energy field thing Aizawa-sensei was talking about this morning?” He asked quietly, looking around to make sure he wasn’t being too loud while discussing something that was, at best, still a bit of a stress point for everyone.

Uraraka sighed, “I mean, it explains why there’s like- a chill in the air or something. I don’t know, but I noticed it for sure when I was on the train over; everyone in the car just seemed to be a little bit uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure why, but it makes sense if everyone is subconsciously feeling the field pass through town.” 

That was true- Izuku hadn’t really noticed because he had been so busy running to class, but once he’d settled into the classroom, the room seemed to be a degree or two colder than usual. Not enough to make him uncomfortable, but certainly something he noticed on some level. Both Iida and Izuku nodded, with Iida pushing up his glasses a bit. “I don’t know much about it, but I have heard my brother complain to my parents about something similar. An energy field wasn’t mentioned, but assuming this field roams the globe then I can only assume that the heroes have seen it before. I am surprised they haven’t tried finding someone with a quirk who can visualize energy.”

With a blink, Uraraka looked up from her food, “Really? I mean I know that with quirks something like that has got exist, but that is both very specific and the exact solution to the problem of tracking it.” Izuku nodded along with her, but his brain was racing just a little bit.

“There are some major issues with that though; if the quirk required someone to interact with the energy to see it, they could suffer the same thing that the instruments are going through,” He muttered, making his friend’s face pale a bit, “Maybe they wouldn’t suffer an aneurysm or a stroke, but they could suffer a heart attack depending on how the energy works. If they had a quirk that could just view the energy field from a distance, that would work. That way they don’t have to interact with the field at all.”

“Yes,” Iida looked mildly disturbed. Oops. “That is the sort of thing I would consider using, but I assume someone has used a quirk like that on it before. Either that or the movement is too random for them to get the quirk user in place to use it. Still, those are important factors to consider Midoriya; as always, you continue to impress!”

Izuku blushes a bit from that praise, “No no, it wasn’t anything- I mean the heroes have to have thought about all those things themselves before me!” 

Uraraka nudged him with a small giggle, “C’mon Deku, take the compliment! I mean, sure the heroes probably thought about it too, but that is their job! You considering it too means that you did something pretty cool!” She cheered as Iida nodded with a smile as Izuku blushed and stammered. When these two teased him like this, it was easy to forget things were wrong at all. 

For the first time in his school career, he had friends who cared about him, for just him and not his quirklessness. Not pity, or anything like that, but seemed to genuinely care. And Izuku, for his part, was on the path to becoming the hero he had always dreamed of. Still, something was nagging him in the back of his head; it felt like there was something under his skin that was yearning to reach out to the energy. Maybe it was a weird way to put it, but it felt almost like his blood was singing at the small feeling of the field like there was a connection there he hadn’t known he had been missing. At first, he hadn’t noticed it, but once Uraraka mentioned the subconscious feeling of the field, he was noticing it. 

It made him nervous for the upcoming field trip; Izuku wasn’t sure what could be about to happen, but something felt like it was coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to be clear, Izuku is dealing with both ADHD and depression in this story. There will not be a suicide attempt in this story, however; I'm basing how he is dealing with depression much like my own struggles with it (Same with adhd; what can I say, I see a lot of myself in him). I never felt like hurting myself, and Izuku doesn't seem like he has either. That doesn't make his depression in this story any less real, and so he'll have dark thoughts and depressive moods, and have thoughts that border on being suicidal ideation. Just wanted to throw that warning in here now!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please leave your comments, I am always thrilled to see them! :)


	4. If a Tree Falls With No-One Around, Its Screams are Silent

* * *

“I still think that we should remind these mortals who exactly is in charge on this planet,” Hissed the dark-robed women as she relaxed on her throne, Death already feeling like he wanted to claw his brain from his skull. A bit visceral and gore-y perhaps, but this was a mess he had inherited from his Father upon his ascension to the True God of Death. It had always been a struggle to wrangle the various cliques of deities into some sort of organization, but ever since the end of the Witches’ War and the destruction of the Kishin it had only gotten worse and worse.

A soft chuckle came from across the room as the grey-skinned man across from her leaned forward, whispy silver hair falling a bit into his face. “Please, spare us the theatrics. You’d go marching on them on the back of an army of what? Dead warriors from Hel- oh that’s right. You don’t get the warriors,” He mocked, making the woman across from him growl and slam her hand into her armest.

“You mock me?!” She screeched as the trio of crows that were perched on a chair-back cawed and croaked in a way that was distinctly an amused cackle.

“He doesn’t need to do it-” One crow snickered as another picked up its sentence, “-your vain rabble-rousing is enough to do it for him.”

Lounging next to the trio of ravens in a perpetual bog of smoke with a large dog curled up at her feet, another woman nodded, “Quite. I care not for whether you make an unhonorable attempt to invade a world but please, at least make it less of a headache for the rest of us to deal with- Thor’s voice is softer than yours when you’re having a fit.”

The robed woman’s eyes swung to match hers and a menacing glow nestled behind her narrowed gaze, “I did not ask for your opinion on this little fight. Thanatos can learn to shut his smug little mouth on his own without your prattling.” Next to Death’s side, another teen sighed and slide further into his seat, eyes staring at the ceiling, playing with the scales in his necklace. Death gave him a sympathetic look- he was one of the few here whose job was to guide the souls of mortals to the afterlife and then help judge them as well. It was a lot of work, and meetings that dragged out just got the god farther behind.

The four-armed deity to his right leaned into Death and chuckled, “And here we were cutting attendance to this meeting. Perhaps next time we should keep Thanatos and Hel out of the same meetings.” 

Hel looked up from her continued argument with the quieter (and much more smug) Greek opponent, “Shut up Yama, I can hear you from here!” She growled, about to shout more before a sharp look from Death made the taller woman scowl and slump back in her throne. Death stood, straightening his suit as he looked around the table at the various assembled deities.

“While I understand the frustration Hel, we have decided to reign back our meddling in the world with the death of the Kishin for good reason. I expect I don’t need to go back over every reason for that decision with you,” Death said, earning an eye-roll from her, though she ceased fighting with him and nodded her head. “That said, I have discovered something important I wished to bring to the attention of everyone.”

Fidgeting with the cufflinks of his suit, Death decided to get it over with. “I have discovered the presence of a mortal with the build of the Demon Weapons in him.”

Silence permeated the room as the other gods looked at each other a bit unsure. The teen to Death’s left sighed and pushed himself up in his seat a bit more, “What does that really have to do with us? I mean... the souls of Demon Weapons are your domain anyways. You can do what you want with him.” That earned a few murmurs from the group, though a few nodded in agreement.

“Valhalla makes ready for Ragnarok regardless,” Hel says with a sigh, resting her chin in her hand, “At best, we have another few centuries before Ragnarok begins- the faith in our peoples is fading as you well know. The dead making merry in the halls of my grandfather will soon have no choice but to fight when the heady visage of those fated days arises. It would be petty to fight you over a single mortal, no matter how much you irk me.”

Thanatos cleared his throat, looking at Death directly, “None of us will hold you to the meddling rule too closely- we know you and your Father before you were quite used to a partner Weapon and the rise of Quirks and the destruction of the Demon Weapons has hurt you far more than any of us would be impacted by you getting in touch with one mortal boy.” He sighed and shook his head, “Zag would be cross with me if I didn’t encourage you, at least a little bit. You are far more of a teen than any of us here, you could do with the socialization.”

Death sheepishly shrugging at that comment- he knew better than to argue, as Anubis was millennia older than Death was even if their physical forms looked similar still. “I still am uneasy- Izanami has the best claim to the mortal as he stands now, unaware of his lineage as he is.” Yama shook his head and placed one of his blue-skinned hands on Death’s shoulder.

“If he is a Demon Weapon then his family likely came from Death City before its abandonment or at least part of his parentage. I would wager they would say you have equal claims, and they would not begrudge you a mortal if it meant you were a bit more social,” The larger man informed him as the others agreed. 

“You also never actually keep the souls of those you have a claim on. So, she’ll get him eventually anyway,” Anubis pointed out before slouching back into his seat, mission accomplished.

Indeed, the doubt and guiltiness in Death seemed to have lifted and he smiled at the others seated around the table, “Thank you for your understanding and reassurances. They have not gone unappreciated and I will not forget the favor you have done me today. The meeting is now officially adjourned, and I wish you a pleasant day.”

Anubis sighed in relief and practically sprinted from his seat, ducking through the door in a rush to get back to his duties as Yama chuckled at the boy’s desperation to get back to work. The greek death god stood across from the table, giving Hel a mocking bow as he too left; the various deities trickled out of the conference room as Death turned to the back of the room where a large full body mirror stood. 

His finger reached out, and with swift and practiced strokes he spelled out the kanji for the mortal’s name- Midoriya Izuku. The glass of the mirror flexed and waved as the scene of a bus traveling along the highway came into view. Death turned his golden chair around to get a seat to watch the mortal- he wanted to see what the boy was made of before introducing himself.

“Well, Midoriya Izuku,” Death murmured quietly, eyes trained on the image in front of him, “I hope you give me quite the show.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, some fun appearances and a bit more worldbuilding about the larger universe in this crossover. The exact mythology of the Soul Eater canon isn't exactly talked about a lot, but there was at least one audio drama where Poseidon is mentioned in passing. And since I'm a bit mythology nut, I decided to take that and run with it! 
> 
> If you didn't get who each one was or the referneces, the Gods depicted at this meeting-  
> Thanatos, greek god of death. This version is specifically taken from the video game Hades, which I am in love with.  
> Hel, norse goddess of death. Vaguely inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe version, but the MCU is not canon, just inspiration for their personalities.  
> Anubis, egyptian god of death and judgement. This version is taken from the Kane Chronicles.  
> The Morrigan, celtic triple goddess of death. Sadly I haven't read much with the rest of the gods I included, so these are a bit more vaguely characterized until I know more about them.  
> Kalma, finish goddess of death.  
> Yama, Hindu god of death and judgement.
> 
> With these inclusions, technically I am making Percy Jackson/Kane Chronicles canon to this world (Not yet magnus chase cause I still need to read those books) as well as the Hades video game. However, this story is pretty strictly focused on Death the Kid and Izuku. The other gods and fandoms are only showing up for worldbuilding, not as active parts of the story. 
> 
> With that long note out of the way, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for reading, and please comment your thoughts!


	5. I Looked, and There before Me was a Pale Horse

Death immediately regretted his phrasing; he was not bound by some twist of the Fates or a web of intricate weaving by some deity, but the laws of the universe were surely playing a cruel joke on him at this moment. His fingers shakily pushed themselves against the mirror, frantically writing the old code he and his Father had used - ‘ 42 - 42 - 564 ‘ - to quickly connect it to a nearby window in a shop not too far away from the USJ center. The little field trip his new student of interest was on had started normally, with Death watching through his mirror. That all had changed when a black portal swirled into existence in the building and the mirror’s connection to that location started going on the fritz.

This was not something his father had to deal with when he used the mirror, but that was because it used to be situated in Death City, where his Father’s soul had been bound for centuries. When a Reaper’s soul has sat in a spot that long, enchanted items like the mirror were far stronger than they were when Death instead decided on a bohemian lifestyle and wandered the globe, barely resting in his home back in the United States. When the mirror finally connected to the window of the shop, Death grabbed his cloak and mask, throwing himself into the Mirrorspace and exiting out of the shop's window. He took barely a moment to throw the cloak around his body, yanking the pointed hood up; with his mask, modeled after the last one his Father wore before his death, his young teenage form was covered up nearly completely. 

Sadly he could do little about his height, as he had yet to gain the stature of his Father or older brother. Death was not terribly bothered- his brother had been a millennia-old and his Father older still, but to a degree, it was a bit obnoxious. He had never been the tallest teen when he was younger, and despite getting a small growth spurt whilst trapped in the Book of Eibon, he still had yet to grow to the remaining thirty centimeters or so he needed to beat his old man’s height. It was mildly embarrassing.

Agh, he needed to focus on the mission. Scowling, he shoved his bone-white mask onto his face, hood naturally flowing so that his head disappeared behind the two. Flexing his soul’s power, wisps of black-and-purple energy crackled about him forming small skulls as they fluttered about his. Channeling his power towards his back, two smaller masks appeared with one behind each shoulder blade. He let his power loose from them, blasting into the sky with his cloak whipping about him as he rocketed from the alley in front of the store towards the USJ building.

Some of this was from the tinge of evil he could feel around the soul of the villains’ leader. The man wasn’t an evil human yet, but he certainly had been around such a person, to say nothing of the two strange beings he brought along with the fodder. But, of course, that wasn’t Death’s sole purpose. He was invested in this kid, dammit! He refused to let some petty criminals kill the boy with Demon Blood in his veins. The deities had agreed he had claims over the boy’s soul and for the first time in a century he suddenly was remembering what it was like to have people you were responsible for on some level. It was a fierce need to protect that wrapped its arms around him like a scared child desperate for someone they could trust to keep them safe.

Death scowled as he heard at least one scream or two from nearby streets as he rocketed through the sky before landing in front of the entrance to the USJ building, hovering above the ground as his power kept him afloat, hands in his pockets to keep himself from looking weird as he desperately wished he had Liz and Patty back in his hands. Anything for him to use to shoot down this rotten lot that stooped to hurting children.

Utterly despicable. His eyebrow hadn’t twitched this badly since he had gained his True God status and lost his OCD.

Suddenly in front of him the door opened and someone rushed out- one of the children it seemed. Had they managed to evade the teleporting villain? Perhaps they were less helpless than he thought at this time- he’d never been one to underestimate humanity of course, but they all pale in comparison to his old friends when they were fifteen. 

The teen skidded to a stop in shock and horror at the sight of Death and well, the Reaper couldn’t blame him, “Another Villain-?! Out here waiting for us-?”

Ah, well that wouldn’t do. Death pitched his voice so he wouldn’t seem to be too young- deep enough to be through puberty, which he technically sort of was? True Gods aging was quite confusing and his Father hadn’t had time to explain it before his death -and spoke, “No, not a villain. Go for help young hero; I will ensure your friends’ and teachers’ safety until the back-up you are going for arrives.”

He turned and stepped aside, as a way to visually show he was there to help. The suspicious student in armor stared at him for a moment before the ground shook a bit. It made the teen push up the glasses on his face and grit his teeth in frustration. “I will not forgive you if you show your colors to be villainous!” He shouted at Death before running off as fast as he could.

Death chuckled under his breath- it had been a long time since he had been threatened by a teenager and given they were nowhere near as powerful as Black Star, the threat carried little weight. Still, points for having a spine in the face of danger.

Moving forward, he entered the building, eyes scanning the sight in front of him; the boat that his primary interest in the school was sinking, and there was a graveyard’s worth of people knocked out down near the fountain at the center. There the main villain and his cronies were facing off a sole teacher. Yes, that was where Death’s focus should be for now.

…After he took care of the horrified teenagers staring at him in shock and fear, all huddled around their injured teacher. There were five of them, with a large six-armed boy and a more regular-looking one stepping protectively in front of the two girls and boy that were tending to their teacher. Death sighed, “I was in the area, and I am here to help stop this. What is the current situation.” His tone brokered no room for argument, but the students still gave each other worried glances. They were smart at least, “Your friend in the armor is on his way to gather back up- I will attempt to keep this from happening to the others in the building.” Death nodded to the teacher to indicate what he meant.

They all stood about for a moment, at an impasse of sorts for a moment. That is until the brown-haired girl seemed to decide that any help was good help in a situation like this. “Aizawa-sensei is down in the plaza! He was doing really well but they have some sort of monster there-!” She said a bit desperate as the boy with weird elbows to her side looked between the two unsure if he should stop her from saying anything.

He nodded, “Then I will deal with that first, as it seems far more dangerous. Stay here and keep your teacher as together as you can and protect the entrance. You don’t need the reinforcements your friend brings to be stopped and delayed at the door.” With that, to the amazement of the kids, Death blasted into the air, flying in an arc towards the center of the plaza. The reaper’s eyes narrowed as he saw the monster pinning the bloody and beaten teacher, Aizawa he presumed, into the cracked courtyard.

Still only halfway there and seemingly yet unnoticed by anyone except the teleporting villain, who was suddenly looking at him in alarm, Death’s eyes widened under his mask as he saw the leader of the villains about to grab- dammit, it was a student! And the one Death was most interested in was there as well as some purple-haired child!

Anger filling his chest, he launched his soul’s crackling energy forward, the wisps forming claws as they raced through the air, intent on intercepting the man and then tearing him apart, or at least pulling him into striking distance of the God.

The Villain’s hand closed around the girl’s face as the rest of the courtyard’s occupants stood frozen in shock.... but nothing happened. Death was fairly certain the villain was laughing as saying something but the Reaper was in no mood to try and hear it. His claws kept racing towards the man as the foggy villain shouted out, “Shigaraki Tomura- above you-!”

Death scowled as purple mist suddenly appeared in front of his claws and they passed through, dissipating once they exited as Death quickly cut them off, letting them wither away as other wisps crackled and danced about his aura. Slowly but deliberately he flew down, coming to a stop a few meters above the ground. He let his aura saturate the air, the commanding presence of a True God of Death bearing down on the villains foolish enough to stand in his way and threaten those he was to bring under his protection.

“You’re not the final boss- a surprise optional-boss-?! Sensei didn’t say anything about- about you!” The man named SHigaraki shrieked, fingers scratching at his neck, eyes wide and as wild as his blue hair. He seemed to be as immature as Black Star was, but without any of the seriousness of Death’s old friend in battle.

Well, Death didn’t know who this ‘Sensei’ was, but as he glared down at shocked villains below him, he knew he’d be able to find out soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kid has arrived! You have no idea how much I had to hold myself back from doing some variant of the 'I am Here' line with him. Next chapter we'll see how Izuku gets out of the boat with Shinsou by his and Tsu's side instead of mineta! Please leave a comment folks if you enjoyed this, I love reading all of them!


	6. Unexpected Gifts, Short-Lived in the Sea of Eternity

* * *

The day for Izuku had started off fairly normal; he’d woken up in the morning, nervous fingers fiddling with his tie until it was correctly made, school blazer shrugged on shortly thereafter, and a quick brush of his teeth to clear away the morning meal before grabbing his bag from the floor and rushing out the front door with a cheerful wave to his mom. He was still sore and a bit scratched up from their exercises the day before- his practice partner had been Shinsou, and Izuku had no idea how the other boy was so good! The purple-haired boy wasn’t the strongest but he had such skill with his movements and how he acted. Despite his closed-off countenance, Izuku found it very admirable.

Walking up to his side, the blond-haired electric student Kaminari grinned, putting an arm around his shoulder as they walked. “So man, I saw you and Shinsou were throwing down with each other yesterday huh?” 

Izuku chuckled a bit, anxiety spiking from having the other boy’s arm around his shoulders, “Yeah, I mean, no? We were training partners but that was all, you know how it is. He did get pretty into it,” the green-haired boy grumbled, rubbing his sore side a bit. The only people who matched Shinsou in terms of deadly precision were Bakugo and Todoroki it seemed.

“Ohhh yeah, he was into it,” Kaminari smirked, giving Izuku an interested grin before letting him go and shrugging a bit, “But hey, just don’t hog him to yourself. We all need a skilled opponent who isn’t gonna freeze us solid, or launch us into the stratosphere.” The blond joked with an easy grin and Izuku’s anxiety slowly ebb-ed down, thankfully. “Or, hog yourself, you know. I mean I might be a twig but pretty sure you aren't. I mean, I’ve seen your thighs. Just, get me in a headlock with them,” the other student made a squish motion with his hands, “Sqik, I’m done, dead, blegh, you get it.”

That made the green-haired boy flush in mortified embarrassment, “I - I would never do that to you-!”

A laugh came off Kaminari’s lips as he shook his head, “No dude, that’s not what I mean at all man! We all saw you throw Bakugo, and you’re like, just as built as he is. Well.” The other boy reconsidered his statement, “Maybe not just as built and muscled, at least not in the arms. You got better leg muscles than he does though- Blasty’s probably used to just flying everywhere,” Kaminari snickered.

Well, that wasn’t inaccurate Izuku supposed, and now he just couldn’t get the idea of a triangle-shaped Bakugo with big arms and tiny legs barely holding him up. The hero student bit his lip to hold in the laughter, anxiety all gone.

“What I’m trying to say is, you really shouldn’t under-sell yourself, man! You literally picked up and threw Blasty in your first fight! That was unreal dude, the guy was ready to blow the whole building up by the end of the fight, and he tried his best. But you, you were just like, nope bitch!” Kaminari said, hands moving wildly as he said it. “So like- we’re all worried for you is what I’m saying. Your quirk is nasty, and that’s coming from the guy who literally can only fire off a couple of attacks before being unable to think straight.” The blond smirked as if it was a joke before continuing, “So, all that is to say; while the training is quirk training and you need to get yours under control, you’re still a hell of a lot better than me in hand to hand. Don’t sweat things too much.”

Izuku looked at the other boy in surprise at his words, “Well, uh I mean- thank you-! That was kind of you to say, though I’m pretty sure I’m not as good as you think I am. I mean, I grew up with Kacchan; that’s a lot of time to memorize how he fights. I’m not doing anywhere nearly as well as Shinsou is.”

All that got from Kaminari was a shrug, “Maybe, but that’s just cause you’re a good match up. I bet he’d have some issues with Kirishima or Shoji, or any of the other larger guys. You’re just smaller and less experienced than him- dude’s like, 10 centimeters taller than us, what the heck man.” The other student seemed torn between jokingly lamenting and actually a bit miffed at the height situation. “Like, I’m so glad I didn’t get stuck with Tokoyami’s height. Can you imagine? A head shorter and no muscle! I’d get wasted!”

A chuckle escaped Izuku’s lips as he nodded, “Is this you hoping I’d divulge the secrets of how to fight?”

“Oh dang, was I already found out?” The blond joked with a shrug, “Well, if you wanted to. Figured you had some moves or something, and the rest of the guys actually good at fighting wouldn’t tell me crap. And no offense to Kirishima, as much as I love the guy, his bulk-up method of training isn’t gonna work for me or my body type. My whole family’s as skinny as hell, So I’m not gonna gain Kirishima’s body any time soon. Buuuuut,” Kaminari shot him a finger gun, “If you don’t mind helping me out, I’d do you a solid.”

“I wouldn’t ask for anything like that from you just for helping you out,” Izuku said sincerely; he really wouldn’t, especially since Kaminari seemed quite earnest. The blond hadn’t been the smartest in class so far, but not every hero had to be. As long as he knew how to do the job, then it didn’t really matter what his test scores were- well, except maybe in Hero Law and Ethics when they did that course next year. That would probably be a class any hero-in-training shouldn’t fail.

That got an eye-roll from Kaminari, “Oh trust me, I figured as much- you seem too nice for your own good. ‘Course, you balance out our two brooding classmates and Kirshima balances out Bakugo pretty well. Still, though, I’ll do something for you- ah, you into Uraraka? I can play wingman for you!” Izuku spluttered, face red as he stared at Kaminari in shock as the blond wiggled his eyebrows, “That got your attention, huh? Think you already ruined my chances with her by simply existing, so congrats about that.”

The green-haired boy was just very confused and embarrassed by the whole discussion and didn’t really know how to reply to that statement, “I’m- uh, I’m very sorry for doing that?” What was he supposed to say anyway?!

Kaminari waved his concern off with a chuckle, “It’s okay, it’s early on. Besides, I’ve got other angles I can work on.” The blond said with a smirk, eyes darting to the door to class 1-A that they had approached finally, before flicking up Izuku’s form. “Well, let’s get into class, right- ah, say hi to Shinsou for me if you get him talking again.” The slightly taller boy gave Izuku a wink as he bumped shoulders with him lightly before walking into class.

Izuku could hear Kirishima loudly saying good morning as the blond entered; the shorter hero student was more focused on getting his embarrassment and anxiety back under control after all... all that. Was Kaminari implying Uraraka was into him? Izuku’s cheeks began to heat up again- okay, no, he couldn’t go into class thinking one of his newest friends was attracted to him. It didn’t help that he honestly wasn’t attracted to her like that, as flattering as such an idea was. 

…Who was he attracted to in the class anyway? It was sort of irrelevant, but... No, he could think about that later.

Instead, the green-haired boy fought his blush down, resolutely ignoring Kaminari as he walked to his desk and settled down for the start of the school day. It wasn’t terribly long; Aizawa-sensei just had to take roll-call, announce a few important matters, and have them change. Then, they were on the bus and off for their first off-campus training day. If Izuku could use one word to describe himself, it was excited, overwhelmingly so.

The entire bus ride was spent discussing their respective quirks and bouncing off ideas for what the upcoming training would even be- their teachers seemed intent on keeping the subject of the training somewhat secret until they got to the location. It was probably for security reasons, but Izuku already knew what it had to be. They had been doing battle training, both to hone their quirks and their combat skills, but also to hone tactics and strategies. They’d be doing a lot more of it as the year went on too, but there was one aspect to being a hero that they hadn’t discussed at all in their previous class and it was possibly one of the most important aspects.

No one knew that better than Izuku, as it was Rescue points that got him into the class of 1-A to begin with.

The bus stopped in front of a large domed area, enclosed from the elements. Waiting for them at the front entrance was the amazing Space Hero Thirteen, a renowned rescue hero who was high on the rankings despite rarely taking the lead in capturing villains. Excited energy buzzed under Izuku’s skin, even as something coiled in the pit of his stomach. His instincts were worried, but the green-haired boy chalked it up to the weird nerves the energy field had given everyone.

Izuku didn’t have time for nerves like that- he shoved his anxiety into a box as they stepped into the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, ready to take on whatever had been prepared for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had intended to do most of the USJ incident leading up to Kid arriving, but this conversation happened and its not something I could stop- so next chapter we'll wrap up the first bits of USJ! Hope you enjoyed this conversation with Izuku and Denki; Kaminari actually does have a role in the story besides just a side character, but that's the most of a hint you'll get from me! (Though if you comment and guess, it would make me very very excited lol)


	7. 'Neath Dark Waters Lays Time, Stagnant

* * *

Izuku swore that he wasn’t trying to tempt fate, but this day was apparently not meant to go his way at all. He shuddered and gasped as he was hauled up the ladder of the boat, a strong arm reaching down to grab onto his. His skin felt clammy even though he had been submerged underwater for a minute at max. The hero student gratefully held onto the offered arm as Asui’s tongue stayed wrapped around his waist to help haul him upwards. He was greeted by the tired but anxious face of Shinsou, his normally wild purple hair wet and matted down at weird angles. Izuku let out a weak, “Thank you,” as he was lifted onto the deck of the boat, before promptly falling to his hands and knees and retching out the lake-water that had started to fill his throat.

The other boy waved the thanks aside as the frog-quirk student joined them on the deck of the boat, “Don’t sweat it- it was the least I could do. Asui was the one who actually helped the two of us.” The girl looked over at him and cocked her head to the side.

“Please, call me Tsu. And I’m sure the two of you would have managed something, kero.” 

That was something Izuku disagreed on quite a bit, and Shinsou seemed to agree with him there as the other boy immediately voiced his thoughts, “Not to put Midoriya or myself down, but neither of us are well-suited for fighting underwater. My quirk would be useless and Midoriya still hasn’t gotten enough control over his yet either.”

Nodding his head, Izuku rose to his feet and gave the girl a grateful smile. “Shinsou’s right- they really messed up sending you here instead of somewhere else in the USJ,” he said, though that thought made him pause for a second. “Wait, why did they send you to this zone anyways? If they knew we would be here, and said they have a way to kill All-Might, then why would they send someone best suited to the water to the Flood zone?”

Shinsou pursed his lips as Tsu nodded in agreement, “It is pretty strange, kero. If they sent me to the zone with fire I would have been fairly useless, but here I can go toe to toe with any villain they picked for their ability to fight underwater.” It was a bizarre choice by villains who seemed intent on killing their class.

"I’m more concerned that they seem to think that they have a way to kill All-Might,” Shinsou mumbled, looking back at the entrance all the way at the front of the USJ. They could barely make out anyone there from this distance. “They either are confident to the point of being stupid, or they have an ace up their sleeves I want to avoid.” 

That made Izuku shiver a bit; the memory of the portal villain appearing in front of them shortly after they had walked in, after Aizawa had flung himself headfirst down the stairs to fight the main mob, was still terrifying. The young hero students all could probably say that they had never been told by a villain that he was going to torture them to death before. Kirishima and Bakugo throwing themselves in front of the rest of them was- well, it was unfortunate that it made Space Hero Thirteen unable to take down the villain properly, but it was weirdly touching despite Kacchan being one of the two to do so. The two had acted like real heroes, unlike Izuku who had just frozen at the sight of the second real villain he had ever faced in his life.

“We need to get moving then,” Izuku said, looking over the edge of the boat at the villains circling it. “I don’t think they’re going to let us sit here talking for too much longer.”

“How are we going to get the two of you past them, kero?”

Shinsou hummed as he began looking about the boat, “This boat’s pretty fake, so I don’t think there be much here we can use as a distraction. My quirk can only affect one person at a time right now. Even if I could get them to speak, they’ll be able to snap each other out of it like that.”

Biting his lip, Izuku’s fingers twitched. “I could use my quirk- if I do the technique where I flick and break a finger, like I did back at the Quirk test, I should be able to create a large hole in the water.” The two looked at him, mildly confused before Izuku elaborated, “The water would rush back in and suck the villains into the center, sort of like a vortex.”

“Sort of like when a boat sinks?” The purple-haired boy asked pensively, eyebrows furrowing and a hand running through his wet hair.

“Well, that’s not really an effect ships have unless they’re massive and sink really fast- anyways, besides the point,” Izuku cut himself off. “If I use enough force then I should create an empty hole that's big enough that when everything rushes back in, it will at the very least make it really hard for the villains to get to us against the current.”

Tsu shifted a bit next to him as the villains began slowly approaching the boat, clearly being cautious since they didn’t know what quirks the rest of them had. “Even if we do that, then we’d need a way to get across the Flood zone then; it's not like any of us can fly, kero.”

“No we can’t,” Shinsou’s eyes shone a bit as he grinned, “But each action has an equal and opposite reaction right? That’s why Izuku’s breaking his finger each time- he’s trying to punch with a certain amount of force, but since his body can’t handle that same amount of force the rebound is hurting him.” The purple-haired boy rubbed his hands together as Izuku shot him a confused look, “The rebound is happening because you’re bracing yourself so you don’t move, right? You’re trying to stop the force with your body- but what if you don’t brace this time. If we jump off the ship and then you do it, a lot of the rebound energy should theoretically send us flying instead.”

There was a beat of silence.

“That sounds very dangerous, kero.” 

Izuku’s head was nodding in agreement but his eyes were a bit unfocused, “In theory, it could work. If we fly far enough, the villains won’t have any real idea where we went and we can make a run for it on land where we have the advantage.” Looking up at Shinsou, the green-haired boy’s eyes flashed in agreement, “Let’s do it. It's our best bet to get out of this.”

After a couple more moments of discussion, they made their move-

Tsu’s tongue wrapped about Shinsou as Izuku wrapped an arm around her torso, under her arms.

With a burst of strength, throwing everything into her leap, she launched the three of them into a low arc off the deck of the ship. The villains were looking up at them in shock and Izuku twisted them around so they were angled with their backs towards the nearby land. 

Izuku took a deep breath.

With a thundering crack of his finger, his quirk flung a hurricane’s worth of force forward, slamming and tunneling into the lake in a torrential mess. His slack body, without anything to brace against, was flung through the sky, dragging Tsu and Shinsou with him as the gaping hole in the lake was now collapsing, yells and shout of panic shrieked into the air where there previously was a mob of villains.

“You did it Midoriya-!” Shouted a triumphant Shinsou, Izuku sending him a big grin. His teeth were gritted under the smile as he got used to the pain of the broken finger as Tsu angled their flight so they would land in the water near the edge of the section of the USJ between the main plaza and the entrance they came from.

They crashed into the water, which was thankfully still a couple of meters deep so they didn’t slam into the ground. With a cough, Izuku dragged himself to the surface as the trio began quickly swimming for the edge of the water, the curses and vulgar swearing of the panicking villains far behind them. Tsu was the first to get out of the water and helped pull the both of them up, “We need to get back to the entrance, kero.”

Izuku almost nodded in agreement, but Shinsou’s vacant look off in the distance at the plaza caught his attention. They could still hear the sounds of a scuffle and see the mob Aizawa-sensei had gone to engage in the distance. The amount was whittled down, but there was still a lot around him. Shinou looked back at them, his determined look catching Izuku off-guard, “I’m going to the plaza. Aizawa-sensei needs help.”

“That’s stupidly dangerous; he told us to run because we're not supposed to get in fights at this point, kero. We’ll probably get in his way,” Tsu argued. It was a sound argument, one that the green-haired boy didn’t disagree with. But the thought of leaving Aizawa-sensei there to fend off a mob of villains, at least one able to take on All-Might most likely, made Izuku’s stomach do flips in protest. What was the right call to make in a situation like this?

“I know it is Tsu,” Izuku was dragged from his thoughts by Shinsou’s voice. The purple-haired boy’s fist was clenched at his side, “But this is Aizawa-sensei! I’m - he’s - I mean- ” Shinsou seemed to struggle with what to say before looking away in frustration. The other boy wasn’t sure he was going to keep speaking, but Shinsou continues, voice wavering a bit, “He’s our teacher. I can’t settle with leaving him to possibly die defending us against whatever villain they may have fought to kill All-Might.”

Resolve hardening, Izuku’s hand settled on Shinsou’s shoulder, making the other boy look up at him in shock. Izuku smiles, looking back at Tsu, “We’ll just scout out what is going on. If Aizawa-sensei doesn’t need our help, then we won’t intervene. But I agree; we’re training to be heroes, and I can’t stomach the idea of him dying to save us when we could do something to prevent it.”

Shinsou gave him a relieved smile as Tsu looked between the two before reluctantly shaking her head, “You two are going to make trouble for Aizawa-sensei, kero. But I won’t leave you two to whatever happens. If he doesn’t need help, we don’t get in his way.” She insisted, the purple-haired student eagerly nodding his head in agreement to those terms, babbling out a thank-you. Izuku smiled gratefully at the frog-girl before turning back towards the plaza, heart blazing with purpose- no one was going to die today if he had anything to say about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, we get back to when Kid shows up and Izuku meets him in his 'Death' persona for the first time! I hope you all enjoyed this little squad's chapter together and are ready to finish out the USJ arc!


	8. Maddening

It had been annoyingly easy to get over to the plaza, after all the panic and fear the villains had caused them in the invasion of what was supposed to just be a normal training exercise. Most of the mooks had been downed by Aizawa-sensei by this point anyway, and Izuku had felt a bit sheepish at his earlier doubt of the man. Eraserhead may just be an underground hero and not one like All-Might, but he was making taking down an actual mob seem like it was just another day at the office for the teacher. Still, Shinsou’s fingers were digging into the ground next to him out of stress and it was impossible for the green-haired boy not to feel the same way. That was still their teacher out there- and the two most dangerous villains had yet to even enter the fight.

As if the universe had heard his thoughts and decided to spite Izuku, the blue-haired villain covered with hands was suddenly rushing Aizawa-sensei. The rest of the villains were down so their teacher could focus on the fight in front of him, with Aizawa-sensei rocking back on his feet as he spun his capture weapon in his grip, “The final boss huh?”

Izuku wanted to so desperately shout out to their teacher that the guy wasn’t the real final boss, that the hulking villain that was still sitting at the fountain was so much worse than the pro likely thought he was- but the words stuck in the hero student's throat, knowing any distraction could cost the man fighting to protect them his life, and then their lives too. The two traded blows, with Aizawa-sensei getting a blow to the bad guy's stomach in, but the villain’s hand latched onto their teacher’s sleeve and to their horror, the sleeve started to disintegrate.

He wasn’t sure if the sharp intake of breath came from him, Shinsou, or Tsu, but the three of them could do nothing but watch in terror as the black sleeve of Aizawa-sensei’s jumpsuit started flaking off. Then the skin started turning to ash, and in the few seconds it took their teacher to realize what was happening and knock the villain off him, almost all the skin in his elbow was gone, revealing the lowest reddest layers. Bile shot up Izuku’s throat and his hands clamped over his mouth to stifle his near cries for the pro to look out as some of the grunts picked themselves up and rushed the man.

Aizawa-sensei however was a blur of graceful movement, not wasting a moment of action despite having a limp arm now- a swift kick knocked one to the ground, as his scarf wrapped around another and flung the villain into one of its comrades who was about to take a swing at the teacher. In all but another dozen seconds, their teacher had managed to bring down the gang of small-time villains who thought he was weakened from their leader's attack. Izuku couldn’t help but admire him, thinking that really, Aizawa-sensei was-

“You’re so cool Eraserhead-!” Shouted the blue-haired villain in a weird perverse glee, making Izuku’s stomach churn. “Your quirk isn’t even meant for a long, drawn-out fight in broad daylight like this and still, you’re able to hold off so many of us! Amazing.” Then, as if an omen of Death, the hulking villain was suddenly drawing up behind their teacher, with the pro only having a second to look back and see it suddenly behind him. “By the way, hero, I’m not the final boss.”

Blood splattered the pavement and flew through the air, Izuku’s ears ringing with the snapping sounds of bones breaking apart- oh he knew exactly what that sounded like -and a horrified whisper of “Dad-”. His head buzzed and was fuzzy like it was filling with a sort of unnatural static. Something within his body was coiling and churning, wanting to break free from him. It was like Izuku’s arm had a mind of its own- he needed to defend himself. Defend Aizawa-sensei-! He- He had to do something-! Another anguished scream came from their teacher as a hand- Shinsou, Shinsou’s hand was clutching Izuku’s arm in desperation.

What was this overwhelming aura, this power, this perverse glee, this mad feeling that was pressing down onto them-

“W-we need to go, kero,” Came the soft but strained whisper of Tsu but Izuku, Izuku was rooted in spot. None of them could move, not even an inch, not even with the portal villain coming back as the blood from Aizawa’s injuries was starting to seep into the ground. 

What were they supposed to do, how were they supposed to save themselves- 

What about the other students, how could they save them from someone like this-

Aizawa-sensei, their teacher, what were they supposed to do, he was broken-

They would be broken, torn up, disintegrated into ash-

The pro was going to die in front of them-

They were going to die-

“Let’s go home.”

What?

His brain went quiet as his eyes blinked and stared at the three villains that were in the plaza, two of them casually discussing their plans without a care in the world. Did, did- there’s no way, they couldn’t possibly have said they would be-

“Did they say they were leaving, kero...?” Tsu whispered from her spot on the other side of Shinsou, making Izuku’s eyes widen a fraction, dry and strained from the panic he’d just been experiencing. So...

It was real? The villains really had just said they would be leaving?

Just like that?

Sudden, searing, seemingly incomprehensible rage like an incandescent sun roared to life beneath his skin, bubbling and roiling like the sea’s swells. They were going to leave, after all the trauma they had caused them, the injuries, the possible deaths of who knows how many classmates- they were just going to walk away as if they hadn’t irrevocably destroyed a part of their lives and left the mangled pieces scattered across the ground? These villains thought they had the right, the privilege, the freedom to trample over them as if they had no dignity? 

He wanted to shout in rage, to cry and sob, to break his fisting pounding the dirt, to rip apart and eviscerate the villains-

It was Sickening, it was Infuriating, it was Humiliating, it was Powerless, it was-

It was-

It-

Was-

Maddening.

“But first,” Then suddenly the villain was in front of them, red eyes wild with glee, pulsing with delight as Izuku wanted to recoil but could do nothing, nothing at all, as he saw the man’s hand reaching out for Tsu’s face. “Let’s smash his pride as the Symbol of Peace-!” Once again, for the second time today, Izuku’s body froze and couldn’t move- he could only watch horrified as the hand enclosed around Tsu’s face.

Nothing happened.

They all stood there, waiting for something to happen.

Why was Tsu not-? Not-?

“You’re so cool, Eraserhead,” The villain said with a sort of angry begrudging respect as the hero students suddenly realized that Aizawa-sensei was still conscious and despite being pinned down with his arms broken, was using his quirk to save them, still protecting them.

Then suddenly, an incredible pressure weighed against them and a roar filled Izuku’s ears- no wait, this wasn’t the mental rush like earlier, what was- “Shigaraki Tomura- above you-!” With a grunt, the blue-haired villain was suddenly throwing himself backward as a portal opened to intercept what looked like black lightning, shaped like claws, that had come down from the skies. 

Izuku looked up to the sky in shock, eyes wide as he drank in the form of a blank billowing cloak, with energy and power roaring behind it to keep it aloft. A bone-white mask was the only spot of color in the form of Death that seemed to have appeared before him, a mask that was simple and almost cartoonish in a way. Two round holes for eyes and three spikes for a mouth created the shape of a skull, drawn in a way that perhaps would have been comforting to a younger Izuku, like All-Might arriving to save civilians was a balm to young Izuku’s soul. 

But, unlike All-Might- this mask wasn’t smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, posting chapter 5: "USJ will take 2 chapters!"  
> Me, posting chapter 8: "So, maybe 5?"
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I really tried to capture the panic and terror of the situation the students were in; I hope I succeeded!  
> Also, sharp-eyed readers probably picked up why Shinsou wanted so badly to go help Aizawa last chapter ;)
> 
> I'll get the next chapter out soon with the, for real, finally USJ chapter (well, at least the action part of it, the fallout from it will probably take longer so no promises there!)


	9. Once More, With Feeling

Death would like to say that of all the evil men that he had faced in his three centuries of life, these were the toughest to deal with. He would wax poetic of a grand battle, fevered pitched and unrelenting to rival when he fought his older brother on the moon. That in all the time since he had arisen to his job as the true embodiment of Death, of the Madness of Order and the subjugating power that lay within his very essence and aura, this had been the moment to truly test himself. That all his panic over the dangers this new Demon Weapon faced were worth the panic and fear he had dealt with in his rush to be at the boy’s side to defend him from what lay waiting for him.

That, of course, would be the biggest lie of his career.

“KATSU!” He shouted after inhaling, the brilliant light of the energy blasting forth from his mask illuminating the area around them in a brilliant light of a second sun. It burst forth and nearly reached the villains to incinerate them on the spot, if not for a quick portal opened by the one with the shadowy gate. It rounded the energy back at him, but a quick burst of his Soul Menance dissipated the attack as if it had struck a wall. It was child’s play to do so, with the entirety of the USJ inside the boundaries of his soul, Death could feel each and every movement of the villains when he concentrated. It wouldn’t work once he lost sight of them and they were just another one of the million human souls floating by, but for now, he could not lose track of them. 

The leader of the group yelled, “Nomu! Kill the optional boss, now!” And the weird creature that had pinned down the student’s teacher was suddenly standing before lunging itself at Death. He had barely a moment to realize what was about to happen as the Nomu darted forth, the ground cracking under its weight, the air compressing behind it as it almost picked up the speed to break the sound barrier in just the short distance between the four of them.

A moment was all Death needed, however.

Cloak billowing about him, obscuring the view of any around them as he met the beast head-on, Death’s arm shot out and grabbed the exposed brain of the Nomu. In a burst of purple energy that was nearly as black as night, three blue orbs separated from the creature’s body and slid back into Death’s cloak, quietly and without notice. Spinning out of the charging creature’s way, he let the body fly past him, the shock of having three of the four souls contained in the husk of a body taking it out of commission instantly, the bulky creature collapsing to the ground barely functioning.

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY NOMU?!?!” Shrieked the main villain, eyes wide and frantic with what was either panic or pure rage. If he was being frank, Death could not tell which it was, nor did he particularly care. “That was meant to kill All Might-!”

“All Might, you say,” Came the low rumbles Death had chosen for this form. Best to continue using it to appear intimidating in the face of this panicking and easily impressionable villain. “I do not know how you created it, but it is a disgusting being, is it not?” Death floated over to the twitching and drooling body of the ‘Nomu’. “To have ruined a human like this- truly, you and your kin are more evil than I first guessed upon entering this building. Though I suppose I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up, when you decided to attack children.”

The True God straightened and looked back at the two remaining villains, “Your souls are not evil in that way-” He stopped, finally taking a good look at the mist-generating villain. There was something wrong with that one as well- not as mindless as the creature he had just freed from its endless suffering. In him, there were not four souls stitched together haphazardly, but rather one somehow infected with... Death’s eyes narrowed. 

This one had the distinct wavelength of a witch enchained about his soul, warping and twisting what once existed underneath. It was not unlike what the witch Medusa had attempted to do to Dr. Stein, though the method was undoubtedly different. Was the true leader of this little group a witch, seeking to push past the limits placed on souls? Perhaps this was the source of the evil human soul Death had been tracking.

“What do - What do souls have to do with anything?” Muttered the leader of the villains angrily, scratching at his neck, nails digging deep into his dried and mangled skin. Death could not help but feel sorry for this one. He seemed as if he had been raised under the care of the evil human and the witch. Memories of Crona came unbidden to his mind- another innocent that had suffered at the hands of Witches and destroyed through their madness. This human seemed to have only the slightest tinges of Madness dancing about their souls.

Pulling his cloak in a bit, Death came to stand on the ground a few meters from the villain leader, Shigaraki Tomura. “Do you know not how your supplier of these beings makes their creations?”

Shifting nervously, the mist-villain looked between the two of them, “Shigaraki Tomura, it is best we leave-”

“No. No, I want to hear this- this boss that thinks he can ruin our plans,” the blue-haired villain snarled as he leaned forward, eyes wild, “I don’t know how Sensei makes them, but that doesn’t matter. All that matters is killing the main boss All-Might- he is a blight on society as a whole!” The young man shouted in anger. “The Nomu is just a party member I need to beat the boss.”

With a sad sigh, Death shook his head, “You fight for a cause you do not yet know, nor do you understand. Tell me- if All Might were to die, would your thirst for vengeance be quenched?”

“That doesn’t matter- all that matters is killing All-Might,” Shigaraki said defiantly. 

“Is that all that matters?”

The silence stretched for a moment between them, the mist-villain unsure what to do as Shigaraki stared down Death and was found wanting. It was truly sad, the god mused, that if his words were unable to reach Shigaraki Tomura, yet another innocent twisted by the evil humans and witches would be forced to die in a battle with him. 

At that moment the doors to the USJ burst wide open, and without a word the villain leader was suddenly sucked into the portal, Shigaraki’s eyes snapping open wide in range, “NO-!”

Death meanwhile grunted as bullets whizzed through his cloak, cursing to himself as someone witch an entirely too-good aim shot at him from the entryway. He looked back in annoyance to see the teachers gathering at the entrance. With a huff, he lifted himself up by his jets. He took only a moment to spare a glance at the Demon Weapon that had been watching the exchange in awe before launching himself away, flying at breakneck speeds so he could make it to the city zone in but a few moments, using one of the many windows to quickly slid into the mirror-realm so he could escape back to his rooms.

He ripped the cloak and mask off once he had, throwing them to the side as he collapsed against the wall, hissing as a bullet wound had pierced his leg. It felt like fire, a wound that Death had not experienced in a long time. He had let his guard down, expecting the teachers to not shoot first and ask questions later. A tired smile worked its way onto the True God’s face, however. 

A lead on the evil human, in addition to saving the young Demon Weapon. Not a bad day’s work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to draw this out after spending multiple chapters on USJ, but Kid so far outclasses all the villains there... its really a bit of a joke. So here we go! I hope you all enjoyed it!


End file.
